1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a ball-driving device for use in an outdoors recreational game, such as "BOCCIE", for driving a ball with greater accuracy over and upon a even or uneven playing surface.
2. Background
"BOCCIE" is a several-centuries-old Italian outdoors recreational game whose playing surface was rough or uneven because none other was available and was played by two opposing teams. As it has evolved, the game has opposing teams of two to four players each, played with 41/2" diameter balls on a 10'.times.60' dirt court. Each team has its own color balls, except white. The game is started by a team player tossing out a smaller white ball upon the playing surface, referred to as a jack or target ball. Players, in succession and alternating between the teams, throw their respective balls with the object of getting closest to the target ball. One point is awarded to a team for each of its ball(s) that is(are) closer to the target ball than its opponents'. To further accomplish this, the players on a team may throw their balls to contact and move an opposing team's ball or balls away from the target ball, or to contact and move the target ball away from such opposing team's ball or balls. The first team, scoring 12 points, wins the game. Historically, it is deemed that all other similar outdoors recreational ball games evolved from "BOCCIE". The Unione Federazioni Italiane Bocce, located in Genoa, Italy, is the governing organization for "BOCCIE".